Brown clause means he could actually leave Eels next year

Despite being signed through to 2031, Dylan Brown could actually walk away from the struggling Parramatta Eels if he activates a clause in his mega contract by Round 10 next season.

The surprising clause, which appears before 2026 and then again before 2028 (if he stays) means the New Zealand five-eighth could break away from the blue-and-gold early.

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When Brown was originally re-signed there would have been little thought towards those boiled-in clauses, which James Hooper revealed on July 4, but now that Parramatta are slumping in the doldrums and still without a head coach, the 24-year-old could be second-guessing why he put pen to paper for quite as long as he did.

Quiet interest from St George Illawarra, Souths, and Wests could impact things too.

#NRL whispers 🟡🔵⚡ Option in Dyan Brown’s contract means he could actually be a free agent as soon as next year, despite five-eighth’s bumper @TheParraEels deal running to 2031

A lot of NRL clubs quietly keeping watch, including Roosters, Dragons, Rabbitohs, Tigers pic.twitter.com/3gN73imcgz

— The Sporting Base – NRL (@BaseNrl) July 6, 2024

The cashed-up Dragons in particular are eager to find someone who could play alongside Ben Hunt—himself expected to be re-signed for at least another season soon.

Perhaps most interested, however, are the Sydney Roosters. Sandon Smith is heir to the number six jersey but if he doesn’t fit in alongside Sam Walker the tricolours will be very eager to find a ready-made replacement for 2026.

It’s grim reading for Eels fans no matter how you cut it though.

If Brown did leave, he could ask for as much as $900,000 a year from whichever next NRL club he landed at, especially with the salary cap expanding. He has already proven he’s one of the best five-eighths in the business and remains an international-level playmaker despite the Eels desperately fighting to avoid the spoon in their 2024 NRL campaign.

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The Eels five-eighth would be off-contract at the same time as Te Maire Martin (who is already garnering heavy interest) and luckless Adam Doueihi, who just returned from another long injury.